Thursday, March 31, 2016

“Matiullah Wesa with his niece outside the library he...

"Matiullah Wesa with his niece outside the library he established 3 years ago in his family's home in Spinbaldak, in southern Afghanistan. Inside, the library has nearly 4,000 books organized on neat metal shelves. A volunteer organization Matiullah started as a teenager is working to reopen schools closed because of violence and to bring books to some of Afghanistan's worst-affected conflict areas. The organization began a national book drive last year, collecting about 20,000 books that have helped establish 7 modest libraries in provinces with a reputation for some of the worst violence of the war. "If this library was in the city, we would have 100 visitors a day," Matiullah said. "But to me, the 5 visitors in the village are more important than the 100 in the city." @andrewquilty photographed Matiullah, now 22 and finishing a degree in political science in India, as a dust storm approached in February. #📚" By nytimes on Instagram.